Officials are celebrating the groundbreaking of a two-megawatt solar array in Los Alamos that will be part of a smart grid collaboration between researchers in New Mexico and Japan.
Japan’s New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization is teaming up with Los Alamos County and Los Alamos National Laboratory for the project at the county’s capped landfill.
The Japanese group is also working on a related project in Albuquerque.
Researchers say the projects will demonstrate the viability of smart grid technology in New Mexico.
Such technology aims to balance the supply and demand of electricity through digital information that integrates renewable energy sources.
Later phases of the project will include a large-scale battery storage system and a home that will incorporate solar, batteries, smart metering and an energy management system.